Electrical connector having latchs for locking with a complementary connector

Abstract

An electrical connector ( 100 ) includes an insulative housing ( 1 ) with an engaging portion ( 1 b ), a plurality of contacts ( 2 ) received in the inslulitive housing ( 1 ) with a contacting portion ( 22 ) disposed in the engaging portion ( 1 b ) and at least one latch ( 4 ) received in the insulative housing ( 1 ) with a locking portion ( 42 a ) exposed at outside of the insulative housing ( 1 ). The latch ( 4 ) has a retaining portion ( 41 ) hold in the insulative housing ( 1 ) and a locking arm ( 42 ) unitarily connecting with the retaining portion ( 41 ) obliquely.

1. An electrical connector, comprising:
 an insulative housing defining an engaging portion; 
 a plurality of contacts received in the insulative housing with a contacting portion disposed in the engaging portion; 
 at least one latch received in the insulative housing with a locking portion exposed at outside of the insulative housing; 
 wherein the latch comprises a retaining portion held in the insulative housing and a locking arm unitarily connecting with the retaining portion obliquely; 
 wherein the insulative housing comprises a receiving slot running through a rear side thereof and correspondingly receiving the retaining portion and the locking arm therein; 
 wherein the retaining portion comprise a sub positioning portion unitarily connecting with the locking arm and a barb portion at a distal free end thereof which extends from the sub positioning portion and interferes with the insulative housing; and 
 wherein the receiving slot comprises a first receiving slot receiving the retaining portion and a second receiving slot which extends in through the first receiving slot and forms an obtuse angle with the first receiving slot for receiving the locking arm correspondingly. 
 
     
     
       2. The electrical connector as described in  claim 1 , wherein the locking arm is parallel to a surface which the contacts are disposed on and forms an obtuse angle with the retaining portion. 
     
     
       3. The electrical connector as described in  claim 1 , furthermore comprises a shell covering an upper wall and a bottom wall opposite to the upper wall of the insulative housing. 
     
     
       4. The electrical connector as described in  claim 1 , wherein the locking portion is disposed at a distal free end of the locking arm. 
     
     
       5. The electrical connector as described in  claim 4 , wherein the latch comprises a soldering portion extending outward from a rear end of the locking arm and opposite to the locking portion. 
     
     
       6. The electrical connector as described in  claim 1 , wherein the barb portion of the retaining portion extends in a mating direction in which the locking arm extends. 
     
     
       7. The electrical connector as described in  claim 6 , wherein the latch is inserted into the receiving slot in the mating direction. 
     
     
       8. An electrical connector comprising:
 an insulative housing defining a mating port communicating with an exterior in a front-to-back direction; 
 a plurality of contacts disposed in the housing with front contacting sections exposed in the mating port in said front-to-back direction for mating with a complementary connector, and rear soldering sections exposed outside of the housing for mounting to a printed circuit board; 
 a pair of receiving slots defined in the housing by two sides of the mating port and essentially extending along said front-to-back direction; 
 a pair of latches respectively received in said pair of receiving slots, each of said latches including a front locking arm extending in the front-to-back direction and lying in a horizontal plane and deflectable inwardly in said horizontal plane along a transverse direction perpendicular to said front-to-back direction, a rear soldering portion exposed outside of the housing for mounting to the printed circuit board, and a retaining portion laterally extending from the locking arm and essentially being offset from said horizontal plane; 
 wherein said retaining portion defines a barb portion extending in said front-to-back direction, and the receiving slot defines spaced outer and inner parts to respectively receive the locking arm and the retaining portion therein after the latch is forwardly assembled to the housing from a rear side of the housing; 
 wherein the barb portion lies in a non-horizontal plane angled with said horizontal plane; 
 wherein said barb portion is obtuse relative to the horizontal plane; 
 wherein said receiving slot comprises a first receiving slot receiving the retaining portion and a second receiving slot which extends in through the first receiving slot and forms an obtuse angle with the first receiving slot for receiving the locking arm correspondingly. 
 
     
     
       9. The electrical connector as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the whole retaining portion lies in said non-horizontal plane. 
     
     
       10. The electrical connector as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the contacting sections of the contacts are deflected in a vertical direction perpendicular to both said front-to-back direction and said transverse direction.